5 trapped as Lagos govt building collapses

By OLASUNKANMI AKONI & MONSUR OLOWOOPEJOIKEJA—No fewer than five persons, including a ministry official, were trapped, yesterday afternoon, as a one-storey building collapsed at Alausa, Ikeja, close to the Governor’s Office.

At press time, no casualty was recorded in the incident.

The building, being built by the Ministry of Environment and still under construction, caved in at exactly 2:30 p.m.

The building is about 10 metres away from the main building of Lands Bureau, on the same premises, with a commercial bank adjacent Alausa Millennium Park.

Vanguard gathered that the site engineer, Mr. Oki, was rescued at exactly 3:55pm, after over one and half hours.

One of the onlookers, told Vanguard that the building belongs to the state Ministry of Environment.

“The Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development came here to mark the building insisting that it lacked approval and that work should discontinue, but the Ministry of Environment insisted on going on with the work,” a worker who did not want to be mentioned, told Vanguard.

In a statement, Director, Public Relations,Ministry of Environment, Mr Fola Adeyemi, explained that Governor Babatunde Fashola had earlier ordered the demolition of the structure when it was observed to be defective.

”In the process of the pulling down, a section of the structure caved in and trapped some of the demolition squad, who were eventually rescued by Lagos State rescue team comprising Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Fire Service and Lagos State Ambulances Bus Services, LASAMBUS,” he said.